State Politics & News
Coverage of state politics, elections, and conservative policy battles across all 50 states shaping America’s future.
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- Opinion
On the Texas-Mexico Border: The View From the Front Line
• Drug cartels are helping would-be immigrants cross the border. • Border officials: 3 of 4 people crossing the border are from countries other than Mexico. • State lawmaker: “Texas is not waiting for Washington to act.” Last weekend, I visited McAllen, Texas, a hotbed of activity in the recent immigration surge on the U.S. – Mexico…Genevieve Wood -
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New York Lawmakers Make It Illegal to Touch a Tiger
The New York State Legislature doesn’t want you touching tigers. State Rep. Linda Rosenthal, a Manhattan Democrat who sponsored a bill that passed this week, pointed to New York’s history of tiger attacks—seven over the past 15 years, according to her office—as evidence the ban is in the public’s best interest. “There is no safe…Eric Boehm -
- News
New Mexico Shoots Down Drones for Hunting
SANTA FE, N.M.—New Mexico is a no-drone zone. This week, the state’s Game Commission, in a 6-0 vote, passed “a prohibition against the use drones to harass wildlife and a prohibition against using drones to take or assist in hunting protected wildlife.” “It was a growing problem,” said Bill Montoya, the vice chairman of the…Rob Nikolewski -
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Florida Moves to Protect Unborn Children
Florida Governor Rick Scott signed H.B. 59, the “Unborn Victims of Violence Act,” into law last week. With the bill’s passage, Florida joins twenty-nine other states with laws that criminalize the deliberate harm or murder of an unborn child. Previously, Florida’s statute of limitations reserved criminal charges until a child reached viability outside of the…Philip Wegmann -
- News
New York City’s Soda Ban Struck Down
New York City’s “soda ban,” which prohibited merchants from selling most sugary drinks that were more than sixteen ounces, has met its end. The state’s highest court ruled the ban was illegal today, overturning an attempt to reinstate the law. Former mayor Michael Bloomberg tried to restore the controversial ban after lower courts struck it…Natalie Johnson -
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Tennessee ‘Pork Report’ Finds Government Waste at All-Time High
NASHVILLE—Tennessee officials wasted $609 million in taxpayer money last year, according to the 2014 “Pork Report,” which a free-market think tank released Wednesday. Beacon Center of Tennessee President Justin Owen said this year’s report reveals the highest amount of taxpayer waste in the publication’s nine-year history, which places blame on a large variety of state…Chris Butler -
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Pennsylvania Plan Measures Teachers on Performance, Not Seniority
Pennsylvania lawmakers are considering a bill that would allow school administrators to base layoff decisions in part on teachers’ performance, as measured by the state’s new evaluation system. “My goal is to protect our high-quality educators, regardless of seniority,” said state Rep. Ryan Aument, the bill’s co-sponsor. “Seniority should not be the primary way decisions are…Mary Tillotson -
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New Mexico Officials Question Border Holding Facility
SANTA FE, N.M. — Trying to deal with a tide of thousands of undocumented immigrants, as many of 50,000 of them children, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is about to convert a training center for the U.S. Border Patrol in the southern New Mexico town of Artesia into a detention center. But Gov. Susana…Rob Nikolewski -
- Opinion
More Pushback: Tennessee Quits Common Core Aligned Test
Tennessee has removed itself from the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers testing consortium aligned to the Common Core national education standards, joining the ranks of 18 other states pushing back against Common Core. Gov. Bill Haslam, Commissioner of Education Kevin Huffman and the chair of the state board of education, Fielding…Jillian Frost -
- Opinion
Not Even in Vermont Does Money Grow on Trees
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., may have taken his state tourism commissioner’s statement to NPR that “money falls from trees [in the fall],” a bit too literally. During a House-Senate conference meeting to resolve differences in competing veterans reform legislation this week, Sanders suggested that “emergency funding” would act as a “pay for” for potentially $50…Romina Boccia -
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Humanitarian Crisis on the Border: Genevieve Wood Discusses Her Trip to South Texas
Thousands of illegal immigrants, predominantly unaccompanied minors from Central America, have flooded across the Texas border, “creating a humanitarian and security crisis.” Genevieve Wood, senior contributor to The Daily Signal, discusses her recent trip to McAllen, Texas, where she witnessed the situation firsthand.Monica Sanchez -
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1,000,000 Barrels a Day and Growing: Oil Production Skyrockets in North Dakota
North Dakota has drilled its way into the record books, producing more than a million barrels of oil a day. Fueled by the energy revolution in the Bakken Oil Fields, North Dakota now supplies 12 percent of the nation’s total oil production. According to the state’s Department of Mineral Resources, in the month of April,…Philip Wegmann -
- News
Massachusetts City Is Latest to Wage War on Ride-Sharing Services
Officials in Cambridge, Mass., are going to war with ride-on-demand services in the name of protecting the public. The new rules being considered by the Cambridge Licensing Commission would prohibit users from requesting a ride-on-demand service from anything other than a taxi company and would set a limit of $50 as the minimum price for…Eric Boehm -
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Ted Cruz Urges Obama Administration to Let Texas Handle Its Border Security Crisis
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, has stepped up efforts in his campaign to #MakeDCListen. Cruz sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security yesterday asking the administration to allow Texas to secure its border during the present “humanitarian crisis.” In the letter, Cruz referred Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson to Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott’s…Natalie Johnson -
- Opinion
Texas Won’t Wait on Washington to Secure the Border
Texas officials won’t wait on the federal government to secure their southern border with Mexico. Thousands of illegal immigrants, predominantly children from Central America crossing without their parents or other adult relatives, have flooded in to McAllen and other south Texas communities in recent weeks, creating a humanitarian and security crisis. In a letter to the…Genevieve Wood -
- Opinion
The Latest Allegations in Wisconsin Are Much Ado About Nothing
Today’s revelations about local prosecutors’ claims that Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker “was at the center of an effort to illegally coordinate fundraising among conservative groups” in a “criminal scheme” are much ado about nothing. Why? Because federal district court Judge Rudolph Randa already enjoined the prosecutors’ investigation, saying they were trying to criminalize the political…Hans von Spakovsky -
- News
‘We Want Out’: Bobby Jindal Pulls Louisiana From Common Core
“We want out of Common Core.” With that pronouncement, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal yesterday delivered a clear message to state residents. On the heels of similar moves by Indiana, Oklahoma, and South Carolina, Jindal acted to make the Bayou State the fourth state to exit the national education standards known as Common Core. Bypassing the…Kelsey Bolar -
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Marriage, Family, Faith Move Front and Center in Washington
Two major events centered on traditional values converge tomorrow in Washington: the Road to Majority conference and the March for Marriage. Let’s start with the March for Marriage: The rally brings together thousands of grassroots activists on Capitol Hill. They come to stand for marriage as it has traditionally and historically been defined — between a…Kelsey Bolar -
- Opinion
California Diminishes Union Power in Schools
Teachers unions—already experiencing a drop in membership and public sentiment— took another large blow last week when Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Rolf M. Treu struck down five California laws that govern the hiring and firing of teachers. The decision, Vergara v. State of California, will significantly diminish the influence of unions over personnel decisions…Brittany Corona -
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Even Among Democratic Lawmakers, Support Grows for School Choice in Louisiana
Only 8,700 students rely on Louisiana’s state public scholarship program to attend the school of their choice today, but the state’s lawmakers worked this session to expand options for additional children. The state legislature passed three school-choice bills pass this year, including a new public school choice program and modifications to existing programs. Gov. Bobby…Mary Tillotson